Research shows patients/public-healthcare professional (PP-HCP) partnerships adds specific but limited value to change initiatives1. Use of methods for Quality Improvement (QI) facilitate this partnership working2. A business model, ‘value co-creation’3 states value can be optimised by improving the quality of interactions between partners. A NIHR CLAHRC NWL-funded PhD explored how the interactions in PP-HCP partnerships influenced value/impact achieved for healthcare improvement.

55 semi-structured interviews from across 7 QI programmes and 130 hours of participant observation of 4 QI initiatives was collected and analysed.

Results: The context surrounding the partnerships influenced the quality of interactions between PP-HCP and the value these achieved. This included the supporting infrastructure for QI; provision of training for PP in use of QI methods; and engagement of patients in QI methods.

The value PP-HCP partnerships achieved was limited by who owned and initiated the use of QI methods. When PP were trained in the use of QI methods, PP shifted from passive recipients to active influencers and facilitators in change initiatives going beyond their original role. Not all programmes provided QI training to PP and limited PP ability to actively participate in, or facilitate, improvement. Occasionally, PP introduced the use of QI methods from prior experience, and entered the healthcare sphere as partners adding value.